Programs

Start-Up Farms – Training & Resources

FarmStart began as an Incubator Farm near Guelph, Ontario, (inspired by the Intervale Centre in Vermont) in order to provide a supportive and relatively low risk way for people from non-farm backgrounds to explore and enter the sector.

FarmStart has since expanded; we’ve developed and piloted various programs in response to the needs of the prospective and current start up farmers. We now work primarily with New Canadians, young people from non-farm backgrounds and second career farmers on two farming locations in Ontario.

The approach we take with our programs and services are within a ‘sustainable livelihoods’ framework. At FarmStart we believe in order to be successful a new farmer needs to have a wide range of skills and, to build a variety of different assets.

However helpful it might be; we cannot just provide a new farmer with land and equipment; new farmers need the right mix of skills and appropriate resources, like social as well as financial capital and they need peer and mentor networks. And, of course, as new farmers, they need supportive and loyal markets and viable business models.

You will find within each of our program areas we aim to provide practical tools, financial and physical resources along with skills and confidence building opportunities, as well as help for new farmers to build important peer, mentor and market networks.

Our Seed Capitol Program is not currently running – funding is needed. In order to continue to run our programs we greatly reply on donations.